By Olimatou Coker
The Gambia has secured US$35,563,301 to strengthen its national response to HIV and tuberculosis (TB) through the Global Fund Grant Cycle 8 (GC8), government and health-sector stakeholders announced at a national consultation this week.
The funding update came during a three-day consultation hosted by the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) at Bakadiji Hotel. Delegates — including government officials, development partners, civil-society groups, health professionals, and youth and women’s organisations — reviewed the current epidemiological picture, assessed performance under GC7, and validated priority interventions and programmatic gaps to be addressed under GC8.
CCM Chairperson Theresa Diarra said past grants produced lifesaving results — expanded antiretroviral therapy, intensified malaria control, and substantially increased TB case detection and treatment — but warned that those gains remain fragile. She highlighted threats from global economic shocks, climate change, and supply-chain disruptions and called for stronger partnerships and renewed domestic commitment.
“This funding request seeks US$35,563,301 to accelerate the fight against HIV and TB and to strengthen The Gambia’s national health system,” Diarra said. She stressed the need to reinforce community systems, improve supply-chain management, and ensure the meaningful participation of civil society, women, young people and other vulnerable groups in programme design and delivery.
Bai Cham, Executive Secretary of the Global Fund Secretariat, urged greater domestic investment and local ownership. “If we do not control these diseases, productivity and national development suffer,” he said, calling for continued prioritisation of malaria elimination alongside HIV and TB control.
Alpha Khan, Executive Director of the National Aid Secretariat (NAS), explained how GC allocations are managed: the Global Fund provides a three‑year envelope, the NAS aligns national strategy to that envelope, and allocations for HIV, TB and malaria are determined and prioritised within it.
At the consultation’s close, stakeholders validated targeted interventions and issued strategic recommendations to scale up prevention, expand treatment access, shore up health systems and protect recent gains. The GC8 funding is expected to enhance service delivery, accelerate progress toward national and global targets, and strengthen The Gambia’s capacity to control HIV, TB and malaria.
